About
Welcome to The Slobbery Dog, my name is Sarah Luke and I'd like to tell you my story and how my business was born.
I've grown up and worked with animals, dogs in particular, pretty much my whole life and the majority of my working life too. With experience ranging from dog grooming, kennel work, dog day care, whelping assistance to advanced canine first aid.
My passion for canine nutrition began when we got our first dog as adults, Laska, 6 years ago after experiencing various upset stomach episodes which came with trips to and from the vets. This is when I began looking into the ingredients contained in the commercial dog foods we were feeding.
This was honestly like a 'lightbulb' moment for me, almost like an awakening to the fresh feeding world and I have never looked back. During my research I came across 'raw feeding' and decided to give it a go as we had nothing to lose at this point, needless to say the positive results were visible in the first couple of days. Her upset stomach problems were a thing of the past and the physical changes continued to present themselves over the following weeks. These changes included – smaller stools, a physical change to her coat with a visible shine and silkier texture to the touch, a balance to her energy levels, fresher breath and most importantly for her, much improved digestion.
Fast forward to today and all three of my dogs, Laska, Roscoe and Earl are raw fed and thriving.
As the years went on, I continually delved into researching as much as I could into raw feeding to improve the health and well-being of my own dogs and soon found myself passing on my knowledge to other dog owners to help with their dog's issues alongside my day job as a dog groomer. The positive success stories just kept coming. From dogs with skin issues, food intolerances, digestive issues, weight problems the results were all great and soon my passion for helping dogs through nutrition began to take over.
I decided this is what I wanted to do in order to make a difference to the health and longevity of as many dogs as possible long term and spent 18 months planning how I would launch 'The Slobbery Dog'.
The name was chosen a couple of years before when I hand reared my bulldog, Earl, after he was rejected by his mum who was a friend's dog. He was the ultimate 'Slobbery Dog' and I decided that if I was to ever own my own business whatever that may be I would name it 'The Slobbery Dog' after my little warrior pup who is now the face of the brand.
The arrival of the first 2020 lockdown saw myself out of work as a self-employed dog groomer which brought the launch of 'The Slobbery Dog' forward by around 9 months with the help of family members converting my little garage into a shop for me to operate from.
Within 6 weeks 'The Slobbery Dog' had become my full-time job and I had no doubt that this would be the best decision I had ever made.
By September 2020 'The Slobbery Dog' was named 'Best Newcomer' in our local 'Best of Billingham Business Awards' which was a complete shock to be recognised so early in my journey but an absolute honour at the same time.
2021 has already been a busy and exciting time and I am pleased to say 'The Slobbery Dog' now has a dedicated team working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the best possible experience for our customers both in person and online.
Our primary focus is to supply customers, both locally and nationwide, with a wide range of raw food, natural treats, supplements and holistic products to suit all dogs and their individual needs. We are also passionate about providing knowledge and guidance needed to keep things as simple as possible.
We would love to hear your raw feeding stories and are always looking for testimonials from customers to feature on our website and social media pages so please do get in touch if you would like to be involved! (Before and after pictures are great too!)
Remember, your dog depends on you, feed them the way nature intended.
Feed fresh and stay safe,
Sarah and The Slobbery Dog Team